I'm not sure he will be...It's so early to tell, he's still very raw, and of course he has endless potential. I hope for him to perhaps be an All-Star one day, but I don't think we'll ever be mentioning his name in league MVP talks.

I like Demar though, and I think he's got the right attitude and work ethic to make the most of his abilities, so I have hope that he'll be a very good player for us...At least until he's up for a new contract, then he'll go the way of T-Mac, Carter, Bosh, etc... Be a very good player for someone else.

I think it's too early to tell. He has all the gifts to do well but you never know with a guy like him. He could end up being Kobe or he could end up like Joey Graham did. I think how he does in this coming season will be a good indication as to where he is going to end up.

"When Life gives you lemons, you clone those Lemons to make super lemons!"
-Scudworth

Yup, this season will define him imo, he's had the rookie stuff out the way ,and now he's balling in the summer with more swagger and confidence. Not sure if he has that 'fire' to ever be on that level as Kobe though, but right now I can't say he won't . Kobe had an afro and was jacking up shot after shot even before he had a decent jumpshot, and didnt apologize for it, and worked on it and became the killer he is now, he just wants to destroy all the time. Demar , based on year one didnt show that edge, and seemed to find himself watching on the court at times, but stuff like that can change in time, he just needs to find his niche.
Just as long as we dont have another Joey or Harold Miner, we'll be okay.

Not sure why you say he is more athletic than Kobe, but it really doesn't matter. With Kobe, one of his biggest strengths was also one of his biggest problems early on: his drive. He's got an almost maniacal drive that is the main reason he is where he is. Jordan had something similar. Unfortunately, it can also cause problems because it doesn't exactly make you the best people person. They rub people the wrong way because their main goal is not to get along, it's to be the best and win. DeRozan is apparently a very hard worker, but he does not seem to have that maniacal drive that will propel him to be among the best. I think he's got a very good chance to be an All-Star calibre player someday if he continues to work hard and expand his game, but don't expect the next Kobe.

Not sure why you say he is more athletic than Kobe, but it really doesn't matter. With Kobe, one of his biggest strengths was also one of his biggest problems early on: his drive. He's got an almost maniacal drive that is the main reason he is where he is. Jordan had something similar. Unfortunately, it can also cause problems because it doesn't exactly make you the best people person. They rub people the wrong way because their main goal is not to get along, it's to be the best and win. DeRozan is apparently a very hard worker, but he does not seem to have that maniacal drive that will propel him to be among the best. I think he's got a very good chance to be an All-Star calibre player someday if he continues to work hard and expand his game, but don't expect the next Kobe.

i think he does. kinda came out a couple of times during the season when he was having bad games, and i remember that one time Triano pulled him out because he made an error and he went to the end of the bench and kicked something....or mumbled something. I think now that he's going to be put in a position wherein he needs to score more and do more for the team, his drive will definitely grow. He needs to pack more muscle tho.

You can't compare anyone to Michael and Kobe, that's just silly. They're not superstars, more like legends. Vince and LeBron were/are superstars too, and everyone knows they don't have the same "maniacal drive" as the other two. There's no question in my mind DeMar can become an all-star, possibly a superstar, but you can't really say he's the next Michael or Kobe.

Agree, every once in a while someone like MJ and Kobe comes along and changes the game. Its that psycho mentality and drive to beat you at anything and everything. But Demar can still become an all-star without that drive, there are many all-stars that play hard, but dont have that nastiness in them...Dwight, CB4, T-Mac. Some guys nowadays that comes close to wanting to eat you babies are DWade, Chris Paul & Steve Nash.

I don't think he has "it" - for a guy with his athleticism he should have been posterizing defenders on a regular basis. Was one of the best Raptors at going to the hole, but that is quite relative as the Raptors are a bunch of pussies. Compared to other young stars he just doesn't seem to have any killer instinct. And although he did play some decend man-to-man defense at times - there were more occasions when he looked lost when defending the pick-and-roll and playing any team defense. I hope for the best, but my gut says he will be the next Fred Jones/Isiah Rider.

I think he will if Triano stays coach. The most untalked about thing is how Triano handles his young/rookies players. Demar didn't have a flashy year, but Triano played him just right, and now Demar has transitioned to the summer league just killing it. Triano gave him a starting role, but not pressure beyond what he could handle. Same goes for Weems, and Amir; the difference with weems and Amir is that they were depended on more then Demar because Triano got the most out of them, and they were playing unreal. Even Bargnani was playing the best ball of his career. Triano deserves more props, its all about good coaching!

I don't think he has "it" - for a guy with his athleticism he should have been posterizing defenders on a regular basis. Was one of the best Raptors at going to the hole, but that is quite relative as the Raptors are a bunch of pussies. Compared to other young stars he just doesn't seem to have any killer instinct. And although he did play some decend man-to-man defense at times - there were more occasions when he looked lost when defending the pick-and-roll and playing any team defense. I hope for the best, but my gut says he will be the next Fred Jones/Isiah Rider.

hahaha ez man. not everybody can play at a "Jordan" level in their rookie year. He'll posterize. Just wait.

The real problem is that Demar was the fifth option throughout his rookie year, so you can't say that he didnt have the killer instict just yet. Now im not saying he does, it's just that theres nothing really to indicate that he doesn't have it.

But if that is the case where he doesnt have it, Demar has the upside to be someone like Vince Carter or Andre Iguadola.

Good lord no. I don't know which DeMar you were watching but I didn't see an all-star, nevermind a superstar.

Decent young player, but doesn't have a starter's toolkit.

Can't shoot from deep
Can't create his own shot
Not good defensively - yes this may change as most rooks fall in this category
Not a great passer or playmaker

Hope springs eternal for you homers, eh?

Man, i just pity your kid when he comes home from school after his first exam and shows you a failing grade. you'll be like, "you have no brain", "youll never be good in life", "youll never amount to anything" "you cant read or write" hahaha

Man, i just pity your kid when he comes home from school after his first exam and shows you a failing grade. you'll be like, "you have no brain", "youll never be good in life", "youll never amount to anything" "you cant read or write" hahaha

take it easy man. its DD's 1st year for god's sakes.

superstars are not born overnight.

Your analogy doesn't work. I said decent young player, not utter failure / eternal benchwarmer. But superstar? C'mon. In a year where we saw Curry and Jennings and Evans shine you're picking DD to be a superstar? Based on what evidence? That he's athletic with dunk-contest springs?

Yes it's his first year. But outside of Toronto nobody has this kid earmarked for greatness. Nobody. Doesn't that mean something?

I know this is 'Raptors Republic' and all, and I love the team, but I love basketball too. Based on other young players in the league, DD does not have the DNA of a superstar.

Your analogy doesn't work. I said decent young player, not utter failure / eternal benchwarmer. But superstar? C'mon. In a year where we saw Curry and Jennings and Evans shine you're picking DD to be a superstar? Based on what evidence? That he's athletic with dunk-contest springs?

Yes it's his first year. But outside of Toronto nobody has this kid earmarked for greatness. Nobody. Doesn't that mean something?

I know this is 'Raptors Republic' and all, and I love the team, but I love basketball too. Based on other young players in the league, DD does not have the DNA of a superstar.

I think it depends what we mean by Superstar. If by Superstar we meant a top 5 player in this league, a future Kobe, Lebron, Wade - no he's not going to be that. But I think he has the potential to be a perennial All-Star and one of the better players at his position. Mind you, I say potential. From what I can tell, the kids a hard worker with great athleticism, so it at least gives him a chance to be special. But generally, the ones who are going to be truly great, you'll see it right away... I don't think Demar has shown us that at this point.

Let's get one thing straight - DeMar is in no way more athletic than Kobe. Kobe was bigger, stronger and faster as a 19 year old than DeMar. Kobe's build allowed him to pack on a significant amount of muscle later in his career; DeMar has a very slight build which could impact his ability to finish in traffic regardless of how strong he gets.

That said, DeMar came into the league last year with nearly no jump shot - by the end of the year he was fairly reliable out to about 17-18 feet. His dribble got tighter and his passing and rebounding improved throughout the year. When he gets stronger it will be easier for him to fight through screens if he wants it badly enough. This, on a team where the work ethic seemed to be lacking for most. I don't think we need to worry about DeMar not getting the most out of his potential.

I don't know about superstar, but solid starter to borderline All-star seems about right. Think Josh Howard with more athleticism or something.